Kauai 2004

Hiking the Na Pali Coast
DO NOT HIKE IN VANS!
They get wet and weigh about 5lbs each. Trust Me
This is a spectacular hike. We hiked to the trailhead at Ke'e
Beach to Hanakapiai Beach (2 miles) and then another 2 miles
inland to Hanakpiai Falls. The only way to both is on foot. The
beach is fed by a river of fresh water so you can rinse off the
salt water.
The hike to the falls got considerably
muddier. Once there, it was worth it. The water in the pool under
the falls was COLD and the wind generated from the 400 ft falls
was unbelievable. The water hurt from just bouncing off the
surface from 400' up. It would skin you if you got directly under
the falls. For some odd reason, the hike there and back seemed
to be uphill both ways!

Hidden Tunnel Hike
Definitely the most insane thing we did.
We found this hike in the Ultimate Kauai
Guide Book. We had no idea what we
were getting ourselves into. These old
irrigation tunnels were built back in the
1890's to divert water from the North side
of the Island to the South for cane fields.

First, we didn't tell anyone where we were
going or what we were doing. We only
had 2 small flashlights with low batteries
and Crazy Larry had a lighted keychain.
The first 2 1/2 miles was through mud
anywhere from ankle to knee deep.
Dumbass me decided to do it in my new
$80 Tivas. My toenails are still stained
from the famous red Kauai mud.

The tunnels were about a mile long each
and you could just barely see the other
end as a pinprick of light. There was
standing water in the tunnel up to
waist deep. At the end of the 1st tunnel,
there was an amazing double waterfall
and the entrance to the 2nd tunnel was
somewhere up river. Dan and I were
about to give up and head back when
Larry found the entrance. The second
tunnel ended up at a big cathedral
waterfall where the walls were concave.
The entire hike was 10 miles and took all
day.
A friend that lives on the Island tried the
same hike and had to be rescued by
chopper. This is NOT a hike for everyone.